Please join us for a Town Hall on Tuesday at 12pm to discuss the Tentative Agreement.
On Wednesday, we reached a Tentative Agreement for our first contract with the WCM administration. We are very proud to have won many substantive and important improvements in every major area we set as a priority. These gains are the direct result of tireless organizing, nearly a year and a half of bargaining, and our powerful strike threat. Together, we fought, and we won.
We believe this is a strong agreement that would improve the lives and protect the rights of postdoctoral researchers. The Bargaining Committee recommends the Agreement and strongly supports ratification. We encourage you to read the articles, attend our upcoming town hall, and reach out with any questions. You can read the full Tentative Agreement here, and we have added a few highlights of what we won below and on social media. We will also send out a comprehensive summary of the full Agreement in the coming days.
The ratification vote will begin on Monday, November 3, 2025 at 9am and will conclude on Friday, November 7, 2025 at 12pm (noon). If a majority votes “yes”, the Tentative Agreement will go into effect.
Voter Eligibility
Eligible voters are WCM Postdoctoral Associates, Fellows, or Visiting Fellows who are currently employed by the College and who have filled out a WCMPU-UAW authorization card or the bargaining survey. If you have not previously signed an authorization card or filled out a bargaining survey, you may do so during the voting period in order to receive your ballot.
Voting Method
Voting will be held electronically via a secret ballot. ElectionBuddy will send you an email with a unique link to your online ballot. If you cannot locate the email from ElectionBuddy with the ballot, including in your spam, junk, and promotions folders, email us at elections@wcmpostdocunion.org.
How to Vote
You should receive an email from ElectionBuddy with your ballot on Monday, November 3, 2025 at 9am, or soon after you sign an authorization card if the vote has already begun. Please check your spam, junk, and promotions folders, and if you cannot locate your ballot, email us at elections@wcmpostdocunion.org.
Highlights of the Tentative Agreement
The Bargaining Committee recommends voting YES to ratification. This Agreement includes historic economic improvements and establishes important new workplace rights for all Postdoctoral Associates, Fellows, and Visiting Fellows. We believe the Agreement would not only improve our lives as researchers, but would also help make WCM a more equitable, inclusive, and competitive research institution. Key highlights of the Agreement include:
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Among the highest minimum salaries for postdocs in the country, plus 3% anniversary increases and an additional $3,500 increase at the start of the 2nd year
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Minimum salaries will be adjusted based on years of experience as follows:
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Most postdocs will receive an immediate 10% to 26% salary increase and a 20% to 38% salary increase over the duration of the 32-month contract
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The minimum salary for a first-year postdoc will increase by 22% from $61,008 to $74,692 upon ratification and will increase again to $75,812 on July 1, 2026, and to $76,949 on July 1, 2027, to keep up with the cost-of-living
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Postdocs will receive a $500 ratification bonus along with their normal pay for the first full pay period after ratification.
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Parental leave of twelve weeks at 67% for first year at WCM, and at 100% pay from the second year onwards, for both birth and non-birth parents, after the first three months of employment – in addition to 6 to 8 weeks medical leave after birth
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Yearly communal $50,000 emergency fund ($150,000 over the life of the Agreement) that postdocs can apply for, to cover expenses related to childcare, housing, and other forms of financial hardship
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New housing-related rights, including 4-week timeline for receiving a housing offer, ability to share apartment with one’s domestic partner and dependents, rights to timely repairs, and a housing committee with the administration
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Greater job security including “just cause” protections against arbitrary discipline and termination, without a probation period, and minimum 4-months notice for non-renewal
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Protection against layoffs where appropriate funding exists
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Protection against unreasonable workload and new rights to part-time work
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Stronger protections against discrimination, harassment, and bullying, including immediate and supportive measures and extended timelines for reporting harassment, pregnancy accommodations, and gender-neutral facilities
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New rights for international researchers, including five business days of protected time for visa renewal, more say in your preferred visa choice, up to $1,500 in reimbursements for visa-related expenses, and an option for extended DS2019 work authorization beyond appointment length
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A strong grievance procedure that allows us, for the first time, to enforce our rights under the contract with access to a neutral third-party arbitrator
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Protected rights to authorship and intellectual property, and PI status on grants and for open access publication fees
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Guaranteed access to paid time off of up to 20 vacation days plus 4 personal days
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Many more improvements that either match or build upon industry standards for unionized postdocs
Please don’t hesitate to reach out with any questions or thoughts,
WCMPU-UAW Bargaining Committee
Caitlin Williams
Dagan Marx
Krithika Karthigeyan
Luca Posa